A penguin from the Newport Aquarium made a visit to the Mason County Public Library and Maysville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Saturday.
Large crowds filled the MCPL lobby at 11 a.m. and the nursing home lobby at 1 p.m. to see the penguin that was brought in by the Wave Foundation.
Abby Ketterer, with the Wave Foundation of Newport Aquarium, said the foundation’s purpose is to make sure those who are unable to visit the aquarium are able to see some of the animals that live in the facility.
On Saturday, that animal was Red Pepper the penguin.
Ketterer began by telling the audiences about penguins. Red Pepper is an African black footed penguin.
“A penguin is a bird,” she said. “But, they’re not like other birds. When I say penguin, you probably think they live in the cold, but actually, not all penguins are like that. There are 17 species of penguins and only seven species live in the cold. A lot of penguins like warm weather.”
According to Ketterer, a penguin’s color is counter shading camouflage.
“They’s say there is a penguin swimming above me in the ocean,” she said. “I’m looking above and the sun is shining down. If the penguin has white feathers on its belly, I may not be able to see it, because the white feathers will blend in with the sky. If the penguin is swimming below me — the ocean floor is dark and shadowy — her feathers are going to blend in.”
Penguins are also fish eaters and will commonly eat about five fish each day, which equals about 15 percent of their body weight. They will also leave droppings every 15 to 20 minutes, equaling about 70 times per day.
“Penguins are probably one of the biggest eaters at the aquarium,” she said.
Hank Griffiths, with the Wave Foundation, told the crowds that penguins will live about 15 years in the wild and about 30 to 40 years in captivity, because they get continuous food and care and there are no predators in captivity.
Penguins are also monogamous creatures and will mate for life, according to Griffiths
“Their eggs will take about 25 days to hatch. Both males and females will incubate the eggs,” he said.
Griffiths said penguins also have more feathers than other creatures and will molt feathers.
After the presentation, Red Pepper was released from her carrier and allowed to walk around the room. The crowds were asked to not touch the penguin, but were invited to see her. After a few minutes of exploring the room, everyone was invited to line up and take pictures of the penguin.
Yvonne Garrison and Janet Garrison were present at the library with their children, Carson and Lily Garrison.
“We loved this,” Janet Garrison said. “When she was marching through the crowd, it was almost like she was examining us instead of us watching her.”
Yvonne Garrison said the penguin is her husband’s favorite animal.
“The penguin is his favorite animal,” she said. “So, we had to come down.”
